The year of 1947 was arguably the most pivotal in the history of major league baseball. Baseball historian William Marshall referred to it as the "season of fury," while Red Barber called it the "year all hell broke loose in baseball." What made that year so important was one player--Jackie Robinson. Prior to his ground-breaking season, black baseball players were barred from the major leagues, limited to playing only against other blacks in front of primarily black fans. That started to change once Brooklyn Dodgers general manager Branch Rickey added Robinson to the major league roster. Although Rickey's "great experiment" sparked protests from other players, it also paved the way for the integration of baseball and other sports.(FN1). .
By the time the controversy had settled, however, several myths about white southern baseball players had become part of baseball lore. Like all myths, they had elements of truth and fiction and were a powerful means of understanding the world. Unfortunately, these myths continued to affect player relationships for years. In fact, their impact was obvious during the 1950s and still noticeable in major league dugouts during the seventies. For at least one former player--"Dixie" Walker--those myths have continued to influence his destiny, perhaps keeping him from being honored by baseball's Hall of Fame. .
Fred "Dixie" Walker was born on September 24, 1910, in Villa Rica, Georgia. In 1931, at the age of twenty, he made it to the majors long enough to play in two games with the New York Yankees. By 1933 he was a full-time member of the team and a teammate of Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe Sewell, and fellow southerner Ben Chapman. He had also picked up the nickname "Dixie," partly because of his southern heritage and partly because his father, who also played in the major leagues, had carried the same nickname. .
In 1936 the Chicago White Sox claimed him from the Yankees for the waiver fee.
